


Coffee Shop

by lostinthegoldenpines



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Fluff, M/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 10:38:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20813756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostinthegoldenpines/pseuds/lostinthegoldenpines
Summary: The Coffee Shop AU no one asked for





	Coffee Shop

**Author's Note:**

> The Coffee Shop AU no one asked for

The patrons of the coffee shop glanced wearily through the windows outside towards the moomintroll and the small mymble. The tiny mymble was standing on a tree branch in order to look the moomintroll on equal ground. Words could not be heard, but the general pitch was growing louder and louder, both of their arms flailing. Finally, the moomintroll spun around, adjusting the backpack on his shoulders and stormed off around the building. The minuscule mymble flipped him the bird before crawling down the tree. The door burst open as she kicked it in, storming in. The patrons pretended they were invisible as the tiny terror marched over the worn wooden floors, the smell of coffee and chocolate bars lost on her senses as she ground her teeth irritably.

“Mymble,” Little My snapped as she marched past the counter top of the coffee bar. “Moomin’s in his usual spot. He’d like his usual. But make it bitter tasting for him. That jerk.”

“Sorry Little My, but Mymble is out making a trip to the bank. I’m covering for her until she gets back.”

My halted at the familiar voice and whirled around to see the tall green hat with a old red feather poking out from a wreath of fresh flowers. Leaning down further over the counter, she saw soft brown eyes that appeared to be laughing and a half smile.

“Snufkin!” With horrifying speed and dexterity, Little My hopped up from the ground onto the countertop in a manner that defied physics, and slammed her body into her little brother, knocking the wind out of him. “I’ve missed you, you crazy vagabond! How long are you in town for this time? Are we still on for Midsummer’s Plan?”

“Why do you think I’m working for Mama here? Gotta make enough money to get the Hattifattener seeds.” Snufkin winked. Little My gave a villainous grin. “So. What was the deal there with you and that troll?”

“Oh Moomin?” My untangled herself from her brother and huffed her way across the counter until she was able to jump to where she wanted, which was the sink. She began to wash her paws. “Can you pull me two shots please?”

“Sure.” Snufkin went to the espresso machine and pulled out the portafiler, placing it under the espresso grinder, the grinding of the machine temporarily drowning out the acoustic music that played over the speakers. “Hot or iced?”

“Who cares? It’s for Moomin.” Little My muttered as she marched over to the flavor bottles, pumping white chocolate and caramel into a giant mug. She stared at the flavors and then began to make a hacking sound. Snufkin swooped in and swiped the mug from her.

“Y’know what? It’s still a bit of a chilly spring out there. We’re going hot.” Snufkin kept the mug out of her reach while he took the portafilter and hooked into the machine, pressing for the shots. The lovely wafting smell of coffee tickled his nose as he reached for the milks. “Uh. Wow. A lot of non-dairy options now.”

“Whole milk.” Little My grunted, leaning up against the vanilla bottle.

“So, are you gonna tell me, or do I have to make outlandish guesses?”

“He’s just an emotional mess right now and is kinda hard to deal with is all. Plus, I’m going to a dance with his ex, so he’s extra whiny-messy with his emotions right now. It’s just his ex, shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Oh? You have a crush on his ex?” Snufkin poured the shots in the mug and stirred the flavors around, waiting them to melt. He inched the mug closer to the counter, away from his half-sister while he started to steam the milk. He caught the face of disgust Little My shot him.

“Goodness no. Snorkmaiden is a lovely friend, but she’d be too much to handle as a girlfriend. She’s the theatre major friend I wrote to you about.”

“Oh yes, that’s right. I only get your postcards every now and then you know, I’m always on the move.”

“Where did you hike through this time?”

“Glacier National Park. I brought everyone some souvenirs. I got fantastically lost and nearly killed by a moose.”

“A moose? Not a grizzly bear?”

“Listen, I was never more terrified in my life.” Snufkin drew a leaf in the foam and dashed on some cinnamon. “I’ll tell you all about it after I take this to this Moomin fellow.”

“I’ll take over the bar for a bit.” My flung on a tiny apron. She paused with a frown as Snufkin walked around the counter with the drink. “Hey, Snuff?”

“Hmm?” He paused, snagging two cookies for Moomin. If his sister was the reason Moomin was upset, perhaps it was the least he could do.

“Have you been playing your harmonica in the school fountain at night again?”

“I always do when I come to visit.”

Little My flashed him a terrifying grin. “Ah! You’re the reason then!” 

“What?”

“Someone failed their final because of you!” My pointed and laughed. “He fell head over heels for you! You were all he could think of and because of it, he flunked his final!”

“Oh dear, that’s not good.” Snufkin pulled a face. “I suppose it’s the smock isn’t it? Sometimes at night I get mistaken for a lady in it.”

“Nope. He saw you in the moonlight, and he’s bi as hell.”

“My! Don’t swear at the counter.” Snufkin frowned, but his cheeks flushed. It was rare for a guy to show interest. He had more questions, but first he had to take out the coffee. He paused. “Uhh…where is the ‘usual’ spot?”

“The garden,” My looked distracted as a customer approached the counter. “Hi, welcome to Mymble’s Cafe, what’ll it be?”

Snufkin felt a bit surprised. The garden was really only meant for the family, but perhaps Moomin had ascended to that title. He stepped into the back hallway, the door at the end leading outside. He flipped off the exit alarm switch and stepped outside, smiling brightly as the sun hit his face. The garden wasn’t massive, but it wasn’t tiny either. One of his favorite places to spend his time, he took a moment to soak in the familiar sights. The Virginia Creeper and Oregon Grape vines that crawled up the old pinkish red brick wall, digging into the nooks and crannies provided by cracked mortar. Blue riverbed rocks created a path that diverged into a fork, one leading to a black wire table hidden under thick purple and blue wisteria trees, the other path to a small lily pond with benches around it, the water bubbling. Flowers and even some vegetables grew around the path, all neatly tended. While he hated the brick walls and always felt a bit enclosed by them, such as the city life near a college campus, Snufkin supposed. He saw that the morning glories he had planted had spread like wild fire on the east wall, and for that he was pleased. As he headed towards the table, he was a bit taken back by the sound of crying.

“Uhh…” He called out.

There was a bump and the table clanked as it moved a bit. Snufkin watched as the troll crawled out from under the table, tear drops splashing down on the river rock beneath.

“Ow—” said the troll, as he rubbed at his head bump. Snufkin hurried over, placing the mug and plate on the table, helping Moomin up. They locked eyes and Snufkin felt as if he were looking into the starry night skies of Montana, his new favorite night sky for the time being. Willing his heart to calm down, Snufkin eyed the bump on the soft troll’s head to see if the damage was severe.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, are you alright?” Snufkin finally asked. “Do you want to get the head bump looked at?”

Instead the troll just stared at Snufkin, as if he were frozen. It made Snufkin feel a bit uncomfortable. “Um?”

“Sorry. No. Yes. I’m—ugh! Sorry.” the troll flopped himself onto the chair, his tail arching perfectly around him, the tuft flickering against Moomin’s plump stomach. Snufkin pretended he wasn’t enthralled. He had always found tails so interesting, and while his mother had one, he did not himself. “Thank you for the coffee. You’re not Mymble Jr.”

“I should hope not,” Snufkin chuckled, pulling up the second chair and making himself comfortable. “I don’t have the energy to be so love crazy.”

“Indeed.” Moomin chuckled, wiping away his remaining tears. “I’m Moomin.”

“Snufkin. One of The Mymble’s brood. I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to intrude, but you were under the table. Is everything okay? Can I get you anything? Call someone?”

“I was hiding to cry. It felt like there would be less of a chance My could sneak up on me. Uh, did she make my drink?” Moomin looked suspiciously at it.

“No, rest assured, I did.” Snufkin chuckled.

“Oh thank goodness,” Moomin gave a sigh of relief, taking the cup in his paws. “It has a design! How lovely!” He took a sip. “It’s delicious!”

Snufkin blushed at the praise and pulled down the rim of his hat. “Glad you like it.”

“This is exactly what I needed. Oh, dear.” Moomin brushed away a fresh set of tears. “I’m just embarrassed and mortified is all. I failed my final exam. I suppose while that shouldn’t be the end of the world, it’s my major, and I suppose it’s left me feeling a bit…lost. I’m the first of my family to go to college, so it’s a big deal, and I feel like I’m letting them all down. Sorry. I didn’t mean to dump on you.”

“No, it’s okay. I asked after all.” Snufkin gave a reassuring smile. “What’s your major in?”

“Business.”

Snufkin tried to hide his disdain. “Is it a passion of yours?”

“I hate it.”

Good. It was okay to have a crush on Moomin again. Perhaps not crush. Admiration of one so fluffy? Yes, more like it.

“Then why are you doing it.”

“I suppose nothing else seemed right at the time. But now this isn’t right either.” Moomin took a disinterested bite in his cookie.

“Where does your passion lie in?” Snufkin tried. 

“Wood work.”

“Really?”

“Mm, lemme show you.” Moomin wiped the cookie crumbs on his tummy and leaned over to shuffle through his backpack. He finally produced the most beautiful wooden flute that Snufkin had ever seen. The design was intricate and the craftsmanship truly outstanding. Reverently Snufkin took it in his paws, turning it over to admire the detail.

“This is incredible, Moomin.” He breathed. Moomin took the flute back and twirled it around his fingers. Snufkin nearly panicked as it almost smacked the side of the table. Wind whistled through the holes as Moomin brought it up to his lips and played a merry little jaunt. Surprised and pleased, Snufkin pulled out his harmonica and joined in. The music filled the garden with a lively fun song, which had the two giggling at the end. “Seriously Moomin, that is quite the amazing flute!”

“Thank you,” Moomin blushed, taking out a case and putting the flute in it. “I practiced by making toys for your family. I—wait.” He sat up straighter, his ears turning pink. “Have you been playing music in the fountain at night every now and then?”

“Ah, you’ve heard about that too? Little My said I made someone fail their final. She claims they fell in love with me.” Snufkin snorted, debating if he should steal Moomin’s untouched cookie or not.

“I didn’t fail because of you! I failed because I didn’t understand my test, I was exhausted, my roommate Sniff snores in his sleep, and Little My asked Snorkmaiden to a formal and then told me the night of my final!” Moomin cried out. “When I heard you playing, it was so calming and peaceful. It stopped my panic attack. I was trying to walk off my stress that night and just suddenly couldn’t breathe. Then I heard your music and my lungs started working again. Your music was a life saver!”

Snufkin was now really hiding behind his hat. A cute troll who liked his coffee and his music? He also wasn’t denying the accusation of being in love. Snufkin remembered My had said the person was bi, and if that person was Moomin, well.

“I’m glad it helped. Say, Moomin, have you thought about going to trade school? Your craftsmanship is extraordinary.” Snufkin tried to divert the conversation. He missed the blush that ran across Moomin’s face.

“Really? You think so?”

“Yes absolutely. I think you should go to woodworking classes and see how those pan out.”

“But my parents—” 

“Surely they’d want you to be happy. Not to mention if they’re going to pay for classes, it might as be for ones you enjoy and like, and want to turn into your profession.”

Moomin’s tail wagged against his lap. “That’s a excellent point!” He handed Snufkin the uneaten cookie, their fingers brushing. They locked eyes briefly, both a bit flushed.

Snufkin had a feeling that he was going to get very close with this particular troll.


End file.
